Richard Cory
by Edwin Arlington Robinson, 1869-1935
Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him;
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim.
And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
“Good-morning,” and he glittered when he walked.
imperially (adj.) –royally, extremely
arrayed (adj.) - dressed
And he was rich—yes, richer than a king—
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.
Directions (20 Points): Please answer the following questions regarding “Richard
Cory.” Please answer these in sentence form on a separate sheet of paper.
1. What is Cory like (describe his background, what he is like as a person, how he is
distinguished from others) (1-2 sentences)?
2. Put the phrase “sole to crown” in your own words, when it says Cory was a gentleman from
“sole to crown.”
3. List five examples of imagery in the poem.
4. What about Cory makes people’s pulses “flutter”?
5. The words “crown” and “town” are examples of what kind of rhyme? (End Rhyme, Slant
Rhyme, or Internal Rhyme)
6. The words “arrayed” and “said” are examples of what two kinds of rhyme? (End Rhyme,
Slant Rhyme, or Internal Rhyme)
7. Who is speaking (explain who the speaker of the poem might be)? (1-2 sentences)
8. How does the speaker perceive (view) Cory? (1-2 sentences)
9. Why does Cory commit suicide? (2-3 sentences)
10. What point is Robinson making about life through Cory? (2-3 sentences)